Sleep No More

Charlotte Westing has been raised not to do, not to talk, and not to discover—which makes for slow reader engagement with her situation. Oracles are no longer active in the world, but they continue to be born, quashing their gifts through rigid discipline and the oversight of fellow Oracles, the Sisters of Delphi. Charlotte has been mentored by her aunt, Sierra, historian of the society, who denies Charlotte access to her books but, of course, brings them within reach, as well. Charlotte’s obedience to the rules breaks down when she is assailed by visions of her classmates in gruesome death poses. Unable to bear the guilt of inaction, she’s willing to break every rule if doing so might prevent another death. That she has interfered before, with fatal consequences, has bafflingly little impact on Charlotte’s thought process, and is emblematic of the murky rationales that underlie much of the book. Pike dedicates the novel “to the survivors of Newtown,” which may strike some readers as questionable, given the plot’s reliance on violence inflicted on youth. Ages 13–up. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House. (May)■